Rape is coercion, desire is never wrong.

At times, I felt humiliated by moments that neuroscientists are now attributing to owning a brain that is in some respects typical of those who’ve been diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia. Sometimes, when attractive women flattered me, thinking perhaps that I might be useful to their agenda, or even mistaking me because I look “important”. It was helpful to understand their behavior as unrelated to me personally. And, in that sense, I understand the opportunity of those men that actually have some status. Given the number and range of character of men I’ve seen caught in this trap, I feel the community might take a closer look, with more useful purpose than denouncement of one particular man or another.

Actresses reporting bad experiences with Harvey Weinstein in 2017

One day in 1970, when we were playing chess at his home in The Palisades, Dizzy Gillespie offered to introduce me to the Weinsteins about an idea I had for a documentary. He said Weinstein loves jazz. I’m not sure which of the two brothers he meant. Later, I went on a tour with Dizzy and his colleagues in Sweden.

I’m amazed by the musical minds of Monk, Coltrane, Debussy and Mingus, I lose interest with a lot of popular jazz and most popular music but I listen to works of Dolphy, Debussy, Monk, Messiaen, Bach, Barber, Berg, Stravinsky, etc., over and over. I absorb Dolphy and Ellington.

So I didn’t call Weinstein as Diz suggested. I left the opportunity to make a documentary about music of the West African diaspora to some other genius, since at the time, I could only cover this in the context of the nature of all music for my knowledge of music wasn’t prepared for the task then.

But for this lack of confidence, I would probably have come to know Harvey and either spun into the same web of narcissistic behaviors or maybe advised him that women may sometimes like to pretend coercion, but even then, it’s risky. So many men and women apparently owe their careers to his support yet did not support him. It’s likely I talked to him at some time but usually that kind of man feels threatened by someone with an unpredictable brain like mine that speaks its mind intuitively, calls a spade, a spaid.

In view of complicit complacent compliance, not wanting to lose a job by rocking the boat, though knowing that Harvey was doing this kind of thing, I hope he will be ok. Money talks and he has plenty of that.

It interests me that the damage from his behavior wasn’t the product of his desire, but he had no respect for the vulnerability of others, not uncommon among those born with brain differences that we call, Autism and ADD. After eight lawsuits, I’m surprised someone didn’t advise him to get evaluated for a pathological brain difference, it would help.